Latest design for Jacksonville amphitheater called 'mediocre' by critics

DAVID BAUERLEIN

Wednesday

Aug 24, 2016 at 11:50 AM

The design of the amphitheater and indoor practice field being built next to EverBank Field has morphed considerably from the renderings shown last year, when the city council agreed to put $45 million into a 50-50 deal with Jaguars owner Shad Khan.

Whether those changes have resulted in a building with more or less visual appeal is a matter of perspective, with strong opinions on both sides.

Jaguars President Mark Lamping said Tuesday the changes are part of the "natural evolution" when a project goes from the drawing board to construction.

"It was designed to create a much more architecturally significant statement for downtown Jacksonville, which we believe this does," Lamping said. "We feel 100 percent that this design not only has been well received, but it clearly meets the objectives that were set out between the city and the Jaguars."

That impression isn't shared by Jacksonville architect Ted Pappas, who is a long-time advocate for downtown development and a past national president of the American Institute of Architects. Pappas said he got a blitz of emails from other architects after Friday's ground-breaking ceremony showed off what the building will look like.

The overall consensus is it's "very mediocre," Pappas said.

Last year's renderings "looked pretty sleek" and drew favorable reaction, Pappas said. "Then there's this great silence until something comes out that's entirely different, without the elegance that the original scheme had. It just comes off as a utilitarian box."

While architectural beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the current version is undeniably different from the vision shown when Mayor Lenny Curry and City Council backed the cost-sharing legislation in December.

City Councilman John Crescimbeni said the degree of change is substantial.

"It would be like you're expecting a colonial home and you end up getting a mid-mod home," he said. "I'm not saying one is better than the other. I'm just saying it's different from what we were approached with last year."

City Councilman Greg Anderson said the new renderings amount to "a fairly sizeable change" from what the Jaguars presented in 2015. But he said he was always under the impression the original drawings could change.

"We knew early on the drawings were all conceptual in nature," he said.

Crescimbeni and Anderson said they want to get a better understanding of what prompted the changes. The legislation unanimously approved by City Council did not require any specific architectural design for the building.

In response to questions about the process used by the city to review the design, city spokeswoman Marsha Oliver said that process has not been completed.

"These questions are premature as final designs will not be presented to the city until next week," she said.

Pappas said the design should have undergone review by the Downtown Development Review Board because the sports complex is an extension of downtown.

Indeed, EverBank Field and the area around it fall within the zone overseen by the Downtown Development Review Board, according to city maps showing the zone's boundaries. The board reviews and approves new construction and renovations.

Oliver said the legislation approving the development agreement with the Jaguars does not require review by that board.

The project is partnership among the city, the Jaguars, and American Thunder LLC, which is owned by Khan and would manage the amphitheater. The legislation approved in December involved three projects: an estimated $25 million in renovations at EverBank Field, a new amphitheater for $45 million, and a new $20 million covered "flex field" for football practices. The city would be the owner of all the facilities.

When City Council voted in December, the expected capacity of the amphitheater was pegged at 4,000 to 5,000 permanent seats. The final design clocks in bigger at 5,500 seats.

The renderings shown off in late 2015 depict a wall of glass surrounding the building. The latest design doesn't contain that glass feature. Lamping said last year's rendering "was simply an artist's representation."

"The goal was always to have a facility that would be somewhat translucent, that would provide a glow, but obviously you can't have football practices inside a glass box," he said.

Pappas said based on his experience in the architectural field, the changes in the design appear to be the kind of alterations that happens when costs get penciled in and features get removed as a result. Lamping said cost "did not come into play."

The development agreement puts the Jaguars in charge of the construction, with oversight by the city's public works department and the city's chief administrative officer.

The city's $45 million share of the work is being financed by a portion of the hotel tax dollars that are collected from guests during their stays.

Lamping said the Jaguars sought bids nationwide and awarded the construction to a joint venture of Hunt Construction and Danis. The timeline calls for substantial completion of the work by May 1. Lamping said public events could begin in May.

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